RAISING
ORPHANED CHIPMUNKS
(Tamias striatus)
by Mary Stockard
(Revised 2005)
Initial Stabilization Care for Baby Mammals
1. Check for injuries. Seriously injured babies should be taken to a veterinarian that day.
2. Warm the baby quickly if it feels cold. Methods for warming include:
- Quick method: Place the baby wrapped in a wash cloth inside a plastic Zip-loc bag. DONT seal the bag. Dip the bag in a bowl of warm (not hot) water. Gently swirl it around for about 5 minutes. This is not recommended for older, active young.
- Heating pad: Set temperature on low. Place the heating pad half under a closed box the baby has been placed inside of along with ravel-free cloths to snuggle with.
- Disposable plastic bottle: Use a plastic soft drink bottle or other plastic bottle. Fill it with hot water. Wrap it with a towel or other cloth. Place it inside a box with the baby. Make sure that it will not roll around possibly hurting the baby.
- Rice sock: Fill a sock 2/3 full of rice. Microwave it on high for 2 to 2 ½ minutes. Place it in the bedding in the box with the baby.
3. Treat dehydration. Give fluids by mouth using a 1 cc syringe, eye-dropper, or pet nurser. Offer the fluids at room temperature hourly for up to 6 hours. Do not exceed 12 hours. Any of the following fluids may be used and can be purchased at the grocery or drug store :
· Gatorade ( regular or clear flavors)
· Pedialyte (clear)
· Sugar/salt water: 3 teaspoons Sugar, 1 teaspoon salt dissolved in 1 quart very warm water. Cool the water to room temperature before offering it to the baby.
4. Give it a warm box or pet carrier. Eyes closed infants and eyes open young that are in shock should be placed in a cardboard box or small/medium pet carrier with ravel-free bedding such as a few tee-shirts. Provide consistent source of warmth such as a heating pad on a low temperature setting. Place it half under the box or pet carrier.
5. Begin offering dilute formula. Make the formula as indicated in the diet section. Offer diluted formula every 2 hours using a 1 cc syringe, eye-dropper, or pet nurser. Syringes are better because there is less chance of aspiration.
Formula Break-In Chart
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Feedings #1, 2 = 1 part full strength
formula + 2 parts water
every 2 hours for 4 hours.
Feedings #3, 4 = 1 part full strength
formula + 1 part water
every 2 hours for 4 hours.
Feedings #5, 6 = 2 parts full strength
formula + 1 part water every 2 hours for 4 hours. |
If at any time the infant develops diarrhea or bloating, cut back on the concentration of formula until the situation clears up. If such problems persist for more than 36 hours, seek medical advice.
6. Provide food and housing as described in the age and development chart. Contact the Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center if there are questions about the care instructions provided.
Chipmunk Diet Chart
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Note: Volunteers who do not have access to Zoologic supplement can use the home formula. |
Wildlife Center Formula: 1 part Esbilac powder 1 part Zoologic Milk Matrix 30-55 2 parts Water Home Formula: 1 part Esbilac powder 1/3 part Heavy Whipping Cream, 1.5 parts Water |
How to feed: Use a 1 cc syringe to feed formula. Wrap the baby in a cloth to keep it warm and secure and hold it in a sitting-up position. Chipmunks are good nursers and will quickly adapt to the syringe.
Stimulating urine and feces: This should be done for babies whose eyes are closed or just opening. Use a slightly damp cotton ball or tissue to gently stroke the genital area. The baby should urinate within a few seconds. Babies may not urinate and produce feces every time but should not go more than 36 hours. Consult AWRC or a veterinarian if this occurs.
Self-feeding diet: This diet should be given to chipmunks as soon as the eyes have opened. Formula will still be offered as directed in the age and development chart until the squirrel is completely weaned. Also offer a shallow dish of water.
90% of diet: Mazuri Rodent Block
5% of diet: Dime to nickel size pieces of the following fruits/vegetables: sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, squash, broccoli, apples, grapes, melons, pears, plum, etc.
5% of diet: Sunflower seeds (squirrels prefer striped sunflower seeds), unsalted nuts such as pecans, acorns, and hickory nuts. Nuts should be cracked until the squirrel reaches 10 weeks of age.
** A few crickets and mealworms should be offered. Chipmunks do eat some insects.**
Natural foods These food items should be included in the self-feeding diet as often as possible. Most are seasonally available only.
| Fungi - ie. mushrooms Tree buds - maple and elm Insects - such as beetles,worms Greens - ie. dandelion greens Hickory nuts |
Closed Pine Cones Beech nut Black walnuts Acorns |
Blackberries |
Keeping Babies Wild So They Can Go Back To The Wild
Many baby chipmunks are orphaned every year, usually by a dog or cat digging up their burrow. Baby chipmunks are very cute and will respond to their caregiver with affection. They are still wild animals though. Individuals raising orphaned babies must not treat them as pets. A baby squirrel should be raised with at least one other squirrel. This will aid in helping it revert to its true wild nature after being weaned. You must obtain permission from your county game warden to legally possess any wild animal even for a short period of time.
Use good hygiene. Wash your hands after handling the babies and cleaning the cage. Wash bedding and dishes separate from your own. Disinfect bedding and dishes using 1 part bleach to 30 parts water. Allow bedding and dishes to soak for at least 15 minutes then rinse. The information in this paper is brief and intended for raising healthy orphans. If problems develop or you have questions, please contact the Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
Natural History Information:
The eastern chipmunk often called a ground squirrel is a member of the genus Tamias (1,3). These animals possess cheek pouches which the animal can stuff full with food and carry it back to its burrow (3). There are 21 species of chipmunk in North America. The eastern chipmunk is indigenous to Alabama (2). Chipmunks actually range from Canada to the Gulf States but in general are absent from much of the coastal plain (3). As adults, the eastern chipmunk is 9-10 inches long (including tail) and weighs approximately 3 ounces(2). They are chiefly characterized by their orange-brown fur and black stripes that stretch from the crown of the head to the base of the tail. Some humans consider chipmunks, like other rodents, to be pests and many are exterminated yearly. However, most of the chipmunks become orphans when their mothers are killed by a cat or dog or the infants are dug up from their burrow by a dog or cat.
Peak Time of Activity:
Chipmunks are strictly diurnal (active during the day). During the winter months, chipmunks spend most of their time underground in their burrows in various stages of torpor. Torpor though not true hibernation, is a reduction in the metabolic rate so that the chipmunk can reduce its energy requirements and thus its food intake. Chipmunks are capable of reducing their metabolic rate by 85% or more. Torpor can last less than 24 hours to several days and usually occurs during cold weather (3).
Habitat Description:
Chipmunks are very common in suburban to rural areas. The optimal habitat is a deciduous forest with water nearby (2,3).
Natural Foods:
Chipmunks are omnivorous (eating plants and animals). Chipmunks will eat invertebrates primarily insects, frogs, snakes, birds, small mammals, fungi, seeds, nuts, and acorns. Seeds, nuts, and acorns provide the bulk of the diet in the winter (3). In addition to food, chipmunks require large quantities (for their size) of water to drink daily. If deprived of water for even 6-8 hours they will drink copiously when the water is made available to make up for the loss(1). Chipmunks are prey for snakes, hawks, weasels, fox, and bobcat(3).
Territory/Home Range:
In general, a solitary individual will live in a burrow system composed of one or more tunnels. The additional tunnels are used for storing food and as areas to give birth and raise young. An individual's home range will overlap with other chipmunks but an individual will defend its immediate burrow area from intruders. Chipmunks will make excursions outside of their home range to exploit a concentrated food source. This is where their cheek pouches become very useful. Most chipmunk will maintain their burrow system for the duration of their life and if removed from its burrow system chipmunks have been shown to return if released within 300 meters of their home range(3). The range of population density for chipmunks is anywhere from 2 to 30 per acre(2).
Breeding /Maternal Behavior:
Chipmunks can breed twice a year. The first
breeding season is from late February to early April and the second from late
June to early July. Males come into breeding condition by mid-February. This
is characterized by the descent of the testicles into the external scrotum.
The testicles will regress by July or August. Females can breed in one or both
periods. Gestation is 31 to 32 days with the average litter size being 4 to 5
infants. Newborns weigh 2.5 to 5 grams(3). By 3 weeks of age the
ears have opened and stripes are noticeable. By 4 weeks of age the eyes have
opened and they are fully furred with an adult appearance(2). The
young will emerge from the burrow at 5-7 weeks of age. It is during this time
that many fall prey to domestic pets. The mother generally becomes intolerant
of the young chipmunks within a few days after they emerge from the burrow.
The young usually establish their own burrow within 2 weeks after they emerge
from their mother's burrow. Young chipmunks achieve their adult size and teeth
by 3 months of age. Chipmunks usually are not sexually mature until after
their first winter but females born in spring may mate and produce young in
the summer breeding period. Males rarely become sexually mature their first
summer(3).
Releasing hand-raised chipmunks
A chipmunk is ready for release when the following is observed:
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- Shy of human contact
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- Able to crack nuts
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- Familiar with natural foods
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- Cheek pouch stuffing and food hoarding behavior
Chipmunks should be released near mixed pine/hardwood forests. Residential areas are not ideal places of release. Chipmunks should be released in areas that are not overcrowded with other chipmunks. The cage and/or nest box should be taken to the release site and left under bushes or next to wood or rock piles. Release in the morning and when weather conditions will be good for the next 3 to 4 days.
References
1. Allen, Elsa G., Ph.D., The Habits and Life History of Eastern Chipmunk Tamias Straitus Lysteri. New York State Museum Bulletin. The University of the State of New York, Albany. 1938.
2. Harrison, George and Kit. America's Favorite Backyard Wildlife. pp. 19-41. Simon and Schuster, Inc., New York, 1985.
3. Snyder, Dana P. "Tamias striatus" Mammalian Species No. 168 pp.1-8. The American Society of Mammalogists. may 25, 1982.
4. Wishner, Lawrence. Eastern Chipmunk: Secrets of Their Solitary Lives. Smithsonian Institution Press,Washington,D.C.1982.
Chipmunk Developmental Care Chart
Estimated Age Newborn 2 weeks 2 4 weeks 4 5 weeks
Description No fur to very thinly furred. Thin fur all over. Thin fur on Thicker fur all over, eyes
No fur on belly. Eyes closed. belly. Eyes closed, lower incisors beginning to open. Lower
Black stripes barely emerging. Black stripes noticeable. Inciso incisors emerging.
noticeable.
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What to feed Formula only. Formula only. Formula, self-feeding diet when
eyes open, water.
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Stimulate yes yes yes
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Housing Incubator Incubator Mammal Nursery enclosure
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Furnishings Place in plastic aquarium Place in plastic aquarium Place in tall, glass aquarium with
(with ravel-free bedding) (with ravel-free bedding) ravel-free bedding.
and keep in the incubator and keep in the incubator Place aquarium ½ over heating
until eyes opening. until eyes opening. pad on low and be sure aquarium
has a secure, screened lid.
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Comments Provide a place to hide or to
simulate a tunnel (like a paper
towel roll).
Estimated Age 5 6 weeks 6 7 weeks (weaning) 7 11 weeks
Description Furry all over, tail thin, About half adult size. Very active, looks like
eyes open. Becoming Tail not bushy. Still smaller version of adult.
very active. Upper has soft, baby fur Tail getting bushy, fur
incisors fully emerged. instead of coarser becoming coarse. . adult fur. Very active,
eyes open.
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What to feed Formula, self-feeding diet, Formula until weaned, Self-feeding diet, water.
water. self-feeding diet,
water.
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Stimulate No No No
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Housing Mammal Nursery enclosure Mammal Nursery enclosure. Mammal Nursery enclosure.
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Furnishings Place in tall, glass aquarium After weaned, set up Same.
with ravel- free bedding. Be one of enclosures with
sure aquarium has a secure, pine straw substrate
screened lid. No heating pad. and hollow logs for
tunnels.
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Comments Provide a place to hide or to Be sure that enclosure Same.
simulate a tunnel (like a paper has a plexi-glass shield
towel roll). in front of the door to
keep chipmunk in.
Baby Chipmunk Initial Care Record
Reg #:____________ Sex:_____ Age:__________ Wt.:_______ I.D. Mark:__________ Date Rec.:_______
A. INITIAL CONDITIONS (please circle):
1. Temperature: (determine by touch) Normal (101°F) Cold Hot
2. Injuries Present? None Fractures Punctures Superficial Scratches
Ant Stings Bruising (location)__________ Other:___________________
3. Is the baby responsive to touch? Yes No
4. Level of Dehydration (skin turgor, mouth color): 2-5% 5-7% 10% or >
5. Diarrhea? Yes No Bloat? Yes No
B. INITIAL MEDICAL TREATMENT (if any):
1. Sub-Q Fluid Therapy: (warm baby first!) Amount given:______________ Fluid:_________________
2. Antibiotics: Type______________ Route_______________ Amount__________________ Duration______________
BEGIN ORAL FLUID THERAPY ON WARMED BABY
SF Diet? _____________________ Stimulate? _____________ Furnishings? __________________
LRS = Lactated Ringer's Solution F#3 = 1 Cup LRS + 1/2 tube Nutri-Cal
If the baby is dehydrated begin w/ the dehydration protocol. If the patient is a normal, healthy baby skip straight to dilutions.
DEHYDRATION PROTOCOL
up to .5 cc's/feeding
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Date |
Time |
Fluid |
Amt. Fed |
Urine |
Feces |
Initial |
Comments |
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LRS Q 1 hr. |
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LRS Q 1 hr. |
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LRS Q 1 hr. |
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*Proceed w/ dilutions if baby is rehydrated. If not, continue fluids hourly and repeat sub-Q fluids.
Dilutions: 2:1 = 2 parts F#3 + 1 part formula 1:1 = 1 part F#3 + 1 part formula 1:2= 1 part F#3 + 2 parts formula
up to 1 cc/feeding
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Date |
Time |
Dilution |
Amt. Fed |
Urine |
Feces |
Initial |
Comments |
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2:1 Q 2 hrs |
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2:1 Q 2 hrs |
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1:1 Q 2 hrs |
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1:1 Q 2 hrs |
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1:2 Q 2 hrs |
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1:2 Q 2 hrs |
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